Constant altitude balloon



W. F. HUCH CONSTANT ALTITUDE BALLOON Jan. 19, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 15, 1952 INVENTOR I WILLIAM F. HUCH BY ATTORNEY Jan. 19, 1954 w, uc 2,666,601

' CONSTANT ALTITUDE BALLOON Filed Feb. 15, 1952 .2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 194+ I 5 mm' /Q' I I 'I I --cn' I Patented Jan. 19, 1954 UNITED STATES CONSTANT ALTITUDE BALLOON William F. Huch, St. Paul, Minn., assignor to General Mills, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Application February 15, 1952, Serial No. 271,718

8 Claims. (01.244-31) This invention relates to improvements in ballocus and methods of inflating and flying balloons.

As balloons are sent aloft, they have movement with the air currents and are carried from their place of launching in the direction and at the speed of the winds. This fact can be utilized in using balloons as a means of transporting loads from one location to another. If the path of the balloon is to be known, then the altitudes at which the balloons fly and the time spent at these altitudes must be known because the air currents change in direction and velocity at various altitudes. Balloons heretofore used have attempted to control their altitude by the release of gas or the dropping of ballast. These methods are undesirable in that the gas released cannot be used to contribute to lifting the balloon and the ballast carried serves no other useful function but limits the performance of the balloon. In addition, in balloons which do not carry an operator such as in small balloons, some means must be provided to automatically control the release of gas and discharge of ballast. The present invention provides a small balloon which will eliminate the necessity of the provision of ballast and eliminate the provision of a valve to vent the lifting gas and provides aballoon which flies at essentially a constant altitude without specific altitude control apparatus. I

An object of the invention is to provide a bal loon capable of carrying a load, such as a message, and a method of inflating and flying the balloon to carry the message over a considerable distance, utilizing the prevailing winds.

A further object of the invention is to provide a balloon and method of inflating land flying which will enable accurately selecting the area in which the balloon will land.

Another object is to provide a balloon for carrying a message and method of flying the balloon so that the flying altitude of the balloon may be selected in order than an air-current of desirable direction and speed may be chosen to carry the balloon toward a predetermined landing area.

Another object is to provide a balloon and method of inflating and flying same that will cause the balloon to reach a pre-selected altitude and remain at that altitude for a considerable period of time in order that its path of flight may be more accurately determined.

A further object of the invention is to provide a message carrying balloon and method of inflating and flying the balloon which enables the balloon to be flown at a constant altitude for a controllable length of time so that the time at which the balloon will leave the predetermined altitude enable the gas within the balloon to expand to pressures greater than atmospheric without appreciably increasing the size of the balloon.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a quick and simple method of inflating a balloon which wili enable very accurate control of the amount of lifting gas inflated into the balloon with the use of simple equipment.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for determining the time which a balloon will remain aloft at a constant altitude and thus determining the landing location by accurately weighing the amount of gas inflated into the balloon which is in excess of that amount which is necessary to fully inflate the balloon at maximum altitude.

Another object is to provide a sealed balloon of nonextensible material having a known gas diffusion and leakage rate in order that it may be predicted when suflicient gas will leave the balloon to cause it to diminish in size and begin its descent.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following specification taken in connection with the attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective of the balloon envelope and the apparatus for inflating the balloon with a lifting gas;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the clamping device for attaching a weight to the balloon;

Fig. 3 illustrates weights which may be used in the method of inflation;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation illustrating the balloon as sufliciently inflated to support the gas measuring weight;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged elevation illustrating the sealing of the inflation opening of the balloon;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the balloon when fully inflated and as it appears at its constant flying altitude; and

Fig. 7 is a schematic view illustrating the path .of travel of a balloon and its physical appearance at various locations in its path of travel.

The present invention provides a balloon which is capable of being flown at a constant altitude. A balloon with this capability is useful in the science'of meteorology in instances where it is desirable to study weather conditions at a flxed altitude. The balloon finds utility in other fields because of theability to predict its course of travel.

' It is useful for propaganda purposes, as such a balloon can be sent aloft carrying propaganda messages with the knowlege that it will land in a cor tain area and be received by whoever is in that area.

In addition to its ability to be flown at a constant altitude, the balloon embodying the principles of the present invention can be formed of relatively inexpensive material and be rapidly manufactured in large numbers. Such an inexpensive dispensible balloon may be used for only a single flight and large numbers can be flown to achieve mass efiects in propaganda distribution; Since the prevailing winds in the temperate zones travel from west to east, bal loons which can be flown at a constant altitude can be sent aloft and their place of landing ac;-.. curately predetermined. It may readily be seen that these balloons are usable tosendpropa ganda from one country across the border and, into the interior of any other country whiehlies to the east of it. The propaganda may be in the form of light weight messages placed within the balloon or the propaganda maybe printed on the surface of the balloon itself.

As the balloon is sent aloft with a lifting gas inside, it is buoyed up, according to Archimedes law, by a force equal to the weight off air dis placed by the balloon. Therefore, the maximum attainable altitude of. a balloon is determined by, its maximum volume and by the weight of the balloon material and the gas inside and the load carried. If the balloon is filled on the ground with only sufficient gas to inflate it to its full size when it reaches maximum altitude, itwill ascend to that maximum altitude and immediately begin descending because of the fact that the lifting gas will diffuse through the walls of the balloon material.

In practicing the present invention, the balloons are made of a light weight material; which is non-extensible so that, if the gas within increases in pressure until it becomes greater than atmospheric pressure, the balloon will not increase in volume. The balloon is filled with an amount of gas in excess of'that amountnecese sary to fully inflate the balloon so that it will take some period of time for this excess gas to leak and diffuse through the balloon walls; During this time that the excess gas is passing through the balloon walls, the balloonwill remain fully inflated and continue at its constant altitude. While it is true that this excess, gas adds additional weight to the balloon, in practical usage the difference is so smallthat it may be ignored.

The rate of diffusion and leakage of alifting gas through a balloon ofa certain material will be a known factor and thus the time required for a given amount of excess. gas to leak and diffuse through the walls of the balloon canbe accurately determined, When a balloonissent aloft containing a certain amount of excess. gas whiohis in addition to the gas necessary tofully inflate it at maximum altitude, it will stay atits constant altitude for the timerequired for the gas to leak and diffuse through theballoonwall.

By taking into account the direction and velocity of the air currents at the constant altitudeand the time at which the balloon will remain at that altitude, its location and time of landing can be fairly accurately forecast.

If the balloon, for example, is to be used for propaganda purposes, the location of v the recipients will be known and the optimum time for. them to receive the propaganda will also be known. By choosing the factors of the flying altitude of, the balloon and the place and time of launching, propaganda messages carried by the ballooncan be landed at the desired time and place.

Referring now to Figs. 1 throughb, the method and apparatus for inflating and launching the balloon will be described.

The balloon I2 is first observed; asa, collapsed rectangular balloon envelope. The material forming the envelope is a thin, lightweight nonextensible material, which max be athermo plastic material, such as polyethylene. Theenvelope i2 is positioned: on, a platform, or: table 4. M. for inflation, and has an inflation hole 16 formed in one corner, usually constructed by merely cutting the corner from the rectangular envelope. An inflation tube I8 is inserted through the inflation hole 16 into the balloon between its walls. To supply gas to the inflation tube, a hose 2t}, connectsbetween it and a cylinder 22 of compressed lifting gas, such as helium. A control valve 24 is positioned between the hose 20= and the tube- I8 and another control valve 26 is. positioned between the hose and a pressure reducer 28 which is mounted on the gas cylinder 22. The pressure reducer has a valve 39 which indicates the reduced pressure of the gas. The

cylinder 22 has the usual main control valve 32.

at its top to shut off the flow of gas.

Withthe opening of the valves 32, 26 and 24, gas will flow into the balloon envelope. A corner of the balloon envelope opposite the inflation opening I5 is lifted 01f the table as by a hand 34 so that the first gas will flow upwardly-into the end of the balloon and not escape through the inflation hole. It is desirable that the balloon material be pinched about the inflation tube E8 to prevent escape of gas and to keep air out of the balloon.

In the filling of balloon envelopes ofa small size, such as are used in the present invention, the amount of gas filled therein is very critical and cannot be measured with sufficient accuracy with an ordinary flow valve. To measure the amount of gas inflated into the balloon, the balloon is weighed or weighed-01f by attaching an object of a certain definite weight to the lower edge of the balloon. The amount of gas in the balloon is proportional to its lifting ability and therefore when the balloon is capable of lifting the attached object or weight, the volumeof. gaswithin the balloon is known. The weight must be attached to the lower edge of the balloon as it.will hang downwardly and keep the inflation opening i6 lower than the pocket of gas which forms in the end of the balloon. The weight 36' is shown generally, as attached to the balloon envelope in Fig. 1 andis shown, in detail; in Fig. 2'.

The device for attaching weight to the balloon edge is a clamp 3? having opposed padded jaws 38 which will not damage the balloon material. The clamp has handles to on the opposite end which, when pressed-together, separate the jaws. A spring 42 biases the jaws together. At the end of one of the handles is-a hook 4-4 adapted.- to receive a weight lir in the form of a metal ring. The metal rings are shown in detail in 3 and are provided in different sizes, ranging from larger to smaller, as shown by the figures labeled A, B and C.

As shownin Fig. l, when the balloon envelope i2 is filled with sufficient gas to support the total weight 36, the amount of gas therein is known and the-inflationis stopped by turning off one of the valves, suchas valve 24, and withdrawing the inflationtube i3 from the inflation opening i5. The opening is then sealedin an appropriate manner. If the material is thermoplastic, the opening may be sealed, as is illustrated in Fig. 5, by placing a clamp leracross the material adjacenttheopening and bringing a heated sealing wire 58.. in contact with the edges of the opening. Thiscauses-the thermoplastic material to melt andfuse together to seal the balloon. Other methods, such as heated jaws, band-type closures, etc. may. alsobe'used'.

Referringfioliig, 7, the paths of flight of balat its maximum altitude.

"aca'a'coi loons filled with various amounts of gas are shown diagrammatically. The place of launchwhen it reaches the altitude indicated at C shown by the balloon numbered as, and indicated at the ground location 2. The now fully expanded balloon continues its upward travel until it reaches its maximum altitude X. This'maximum altitude is determined by the size of the balloon which, of course, determines its displacement volume. The balloon, when fully expanded or inflated, has the appearance shown in detail in Fig. 6.

At maximum altitude X, shown by the balloon numbered 56, the gas pressure within the balloon is greater than the atmospheric pressure, maintaining the balloon at its fully expanded size. The balloon remaining at this full size will remain at constant altitude X until the size decreases. This will not occur until the balloon begins to decrease in size, either because the gas is released or because the gas has diifused and leaked through the walls of the balloon. In

either case, the point at which the balloon makes its descent is known and the landing area of the balloon can be predetermined.

The balloon, having been filled with the weight C attached to it, begins its descent at the location marked 4' in Fig. 7 andshown by the position of balloon 64. Atthat location the excess gas which has'kept the balloon fully inflated has leaked and diffused through the balloon wall and the balloon becomes less thanits maximum vol ume and consequently descends. The gas continues to diffuse through the balloon wall until the. balloon reaches the ground at the location marked 5.

If, in the inflation of the balloon, the metal rin C is replaced by the heavier metal ring B, a greater amount of lifting gas will be required to raise the heavier ring from the table when the balloon is inflated, and consequently a greater amount of gas will be filled into the balloon.

The samefollows' if the metal ring A is used, be-- ing the heavi st of the rings shown. VJith the ring A, a still greater amount of gas is required to lift the additional weight and the balloon will receive a greater charge of lifting gas.

The weight of the ring plus the weight of the clamp represents the amount of gas which is in excess of that needed to fully inflate the balloon I If no weight were attached to the balloon at its inflation and it were inflated to the point where it would be in equilibrium so that the gas pocket in the balloon lifted the weight of the balloon material, this would be just enough gas to fully inflate the balloon at its maximum altitude. With this much gas, however, there would be no additional gas to allow for diffusion and leakage while the balloon was at maximum altitude and if the balloon were taken to maximum altitude it would be fully inflated but would begin immediately to descend as any diffusion and leakage of the gas would cause a reduction in the size or volume of the balloon.

Theoretically, if the balloon were filled with only enough gas to fully inflate it at maximum altitude the balloon would have no lift on the :the basic amount needed to fully inflate it at ground but would be in equilibrium with the gravitational force acting on it. In actual practice, in order to fill the balloon with only enough gas to have it fully inflated at maximum altitude, extra gas must be used to compensate for the gas which will leak and diffuse through the balloon wall while the balloon is ascending. This extra gas will give the balloon lift to carry it to its maximum altitude.

Any additional gas added to the balloon over maximum altitude will then cause the balloon to remain at maximum altitude for the time needed for this additional gas to pass through the balloon walls. Since the time at which the balloon will stay at maximum altitude is directly proportional to this extra volume of gas and this extra volume of gas is equal in weight to the weight of the ring and clamp attached, the weight of the rings can be directly calibrated in units of time that the balloon will stay at maximum altitude.

When the weight A is used, the balloon will become fully inflated at the altitude indicated as A in Fig. 7 and, when the Weight B is used, the balloon will become fully inflated at altitude B. Actually, the altitudes A, B and C, at which the balloon becomes fully inflated with different fillings of gas, are not as relatively far apart as Fig. 7 shows them and all distances and sizes in Fig. 7 are schematic and not drawn to proportion. If the weight B is used, the excess gas which is equal to the weight of the clamp and the ring B diffuses through the walls of the balloon while the balloon passes from location 3 to location '41. If the weight A is used, the excess Weight of gas completely diffuses while the balloon is carried from location 3 to location 42. As a practical matter as above mentioned, provision must be made for the gas which difiuses through the walls of the balloon while it ascends from the ground to constant altitude or while it moves from location i to location 3. This can readily be for a given done by adding enough Weight to the clamp or rings to' equal the amount of gas which will difiuse through the balloon wall over this period of time. Since this gas which leaks out on ascent must always be provided for, the specification and claims are generally intended to include this amount when they speak of the amount of gas required to fully inflate the balloon at maximum altitude. In other words the gas which is required to inflate the balloon at maximum altitude includes the gas required to replace that lost while getting to maximum altitude. Excess, additional or extra gas is generally referred to as the gas which leaks or diffuses from the ball-con after it has reached maximum altitude.

Thus it will be seen that the location of landin of the balloon can be accurately determined wind velocity at the altitude of flight of the balloon by determining the length of time which the balloon will stay at that altitude. This is controlled by weighing the amount of gas placed in the balloon, the gas equaling the amount needed to inflate the balloon at a certain altitude, plus the excess amount which will diffuse and leak through the balloon walls during the required time. a

It should be noted that the words diffuse and leak are used to signifythe passage of gas through the balloon walls. The word diifuse is used, strictly speaking, to indicate the passage of gas by absorption into the material and the re-evaporization onthe outer surface. The word leakage indicates thepassage of gas nth Qugh thepores and holes which ocjcur irifthe? on material. The words are herein used"""inter- 'changeably attimes to indicate the general action of passage of gas through the balloon" wall. Actually, the combination of diffusion and leakage, totals the passage'of'gas through the material. The relative" amounts of gas passing by each action is not important" and the significant amount is .theftotal'passagehf gas from the interior to the Icon, which is readily determinable when the type of material to be used is known.

' Thus it will be seen that a method of flying balloons has been provided which enables the accurate determination of the location of'la'nding. This hasbeen accomplished by providing a non-extensible velope filled with a certain critical amount of gas. provide'dof measuring A method has been this critical amount of gas, which issimple and practical for the inflation of smautanoo s, by weighing the amount of gas inexc'essof that required to completelydnfiate'the ballogn at its maximum altitude; M

.Since there is a definite relationship between this excess amount of gas 'andthetimed'iiring which the balloon Will'rem'ain ateonstanta tv jtude, the Weights can be 'dire'c'tly"'c'alihrated"in "the time which the balloon will'rema'in' at con- "stant altitude or in" balloon.

' It is to be understoodthat the shape of the balloon used is not limited ,to' the shape-s own "in the preierredembodiment butthe balloon may be of various configurations, suohas' spheres;

' I have, in the drawings 'and'specification, presented a detailed disclosure of the prefer'red' embodiment of my invention, but it is tdbe'under- "stood that as the invention is susceptible of Hindijfications, structural changes andvariousap plh 'cations of use within the spiritiand' scope ofthe invention, 1 do not intend to limit. the invention ,to the specific iorn'l'disolosed but intend to"co'v'er all modifications, changes "and alternative "conflstruct'i'ons and'method's' falling within the scope ,of the principles taught by my invention;

I claim as my invention: l. A constant altitude balloon comprising a sealed balloon envelope formed of anon -ejrten- .sible material containing a volume'of lifting'gas sufficient to fully inflate theballbon' atit's makimum attainable altitude, antteontainmg aii'addiitional volume 'cf'llfti'ng' gas to 'repla'ce the gas which difi'uses through theballoon walls tannintain the balloonconstantlyat saidmaxirhuzn' altn tudefor'anextended periodoi time. 1

2. A constant altitude balloon comprising a completely closed balloone'nvelope of non-extensible balloon material; an amount offlif'ting gas atmospheric pressure of maximumfballoonaltiwithin the closed envelopeequalin volume atithe' hide to the total volume o'f'theexpanded balloon envelope, and an additionalfamount of lifting gas equal in volume to the amount which will d ifiuse through v the balloon envelope during a the "time the balloon is ascending to ,maxim mwa iii :and during a predetermined'jtirne" which the balloon is to remain at said maximu altitude:

3. A constant altitude balloon c omprising a balloon envelope formed of non-extensible material sealed to atmosphere an filled with a g eater amount of lifting gaslfthan is necess ary tofully inflate the balloon envelope at the maximum fj ltitude-s aman gth gba pn;

completely sealed balloon'en- 5 z w 5 ingth'e balloomand sending it aloft.

"inflate'the envelope fully-at maximum altitude,

these two actions,

filling said envelope with an additional amount of lifting gas tokeep the'balloon fully inflated atmaximum altitude for a period of time alfthough gas passes through the balloon walls, and

com et y exterior of the balsealing the'gas'within the envelope.

" g 5'. The rnethod of flying a balloon which comprises infiating a non-extensible balloon envelope an'amount' of lifting gas which willjfully'inflate the'balloon at its maxi- 'mum' attainable altitudegadding an additional amount'of' gas less than the amount necessary "to 'completely fill" the" balloonsand sealing'the hallo'o'n'envelope and releasingit.

IGL'jTh'e method 'ofjflying a balloon formed of a non-extensible material which comprisespartially inflating the balloon envelope through'a filling opening with "an amount" of lifting gas equal to'the sum of fully inflate the balloon the amounts required'to at" maximum altitude and to'replace the ga which diffuses through during the time the balloon is to remain at said maximum altitude, and sealing the'balloon fillingop'ening to prevent escape of the ga'sand releasing the balloon".

7." Ihejniethod of filying a balloon comprising filling a balloon of non-extensible materialwith anamount of lifting gas "difference in the weight of equal in weight tothe the volume'of air displaced at themaximum altitudeattainable with the balloon and the'weight of'balloon material tional amount of lifting 1 which will be lost While andits -loadyfilling the balloon with an'addigas/equal to the amount the balloon is ascending totnaximum altitud and while the balloonis jfioating at maximum altitude; and sealing the gas filled balloon and releasing it;

" T 8. The method of inflating and sending a balloonaloftfto land at a predetermined location which comprises, selectlng' a balloon of a size jing floc'ation to" which when fully inflated will fly at an altitude atwhichthe speed and direction of air currents are suitable to carry the balloo'nirom the launchthe lan-dingjlocation, inflating the 1*.aal loor'1 with sufiici ent lifting gas to' fully inflate "the balloonat said altitude and with an additional aniountfof gas which equals the amount of gas which will diffuse and leak throughflthe balloon wallsbetween launching time and'the time when the b'alloonis' to'jleave'said altitude, said additional gasjbeing sufficient to keep the balloon at said altitudeior the desired time, seal- WILLIAM noon.

. ieiet nessl Ci ed i t fi P t Pate logical Observations, Circular P., pages '78 and 1 i f i tq c la lw eub s edi ligiib the DepartmentotAsriculiur 

